Armando Siahaan, Jakarta – Renewed notions of relocating the nation's capital from the chaos of Jakarta may have merits, but the difficulties of implementing such a plan would likely doom the idea, experts say.

Yayat Supriatna, an urban planning expert from Trisakti University, said relocation would be extremely difficult. "Economists would argue that relocation would require massive costs, as it entails new buildings, infrastructure and all," he said.

The debate was ignited again by Teguh Juwarno, the deputy chairman of House of Representatives Commission II, which oversees home affairs, who said Jakarta was already overburdened.

"It is the government center, but at the same time it is the center of finance, trade and services," Teguh, a lawmaker from the National Mandate Party (PAN), told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

"We need to offload the burdens to another area." Teguh said the country needed to split the government and business hubs, noting that other countries have relocated their federal administrative centers. Australia moved its capital from Sydney to Canberra, Japan from Kyoto to Tokyo, and Malaysia from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya.

It would help break unhealthy ties between politicians and businessmen, he said. "The affairs between the two are too tight. Distance would make a difference," he said.

Teguh said the move could also improve government performance. "The government buildings in Jakarta are scattered all over the place, affecting efficiency," he said, adding that the move would allow for a district with offices and ministries near one other to promote efficiency.

This would have a domino effect, Teguh argued, fostering development outside Java. "Once we start developing an area outside Java as the government hub, it would encourage new growth" in line with decentralization, he said.

Further, with Jakarta paralyzed by traffic congestion, overpopulation and pollution, the city needs a break.

In December 2009, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also broached the idea. "The idea of moving the center of the administration must again be considered and developed, because Jakarta has become exceedingly crowded," he said at the time.

It is a dream that goes back to the days of President Sukarno, who first raised the idea of putting the capital in undeveloped Central Kalimantan.

But Trisakti's Yayat said many developments outside Java have failed. Unless a new government center has a clear vision, it would just imitate the problems Jakarta suffers from, he said.

The idea also could lead to unhealthy tussles among provinces wanting the honor of being the new No. 1, he said.

Yunarto Wijaya, a political analyst from Charta Politika, said political resistance would be tough to overcome. "Lawmakers will see no relevance in this idea," he said. "It is mere utopian thinking."